African Union summit approves Egyptian president's proposal to hold int'l dialogue to tackle food crisis

President Mubarak asserts United States of Africa main goal

Supporting water, food supplies in Africa needs $20 billion

Arab League chief welcomes Egyptian initiative on resuming Arab-African summits

The African leaders voiced determination on using all means to ease the suffering of the African peoples caused by the sharp rise in food prices.

Wrapping up the African Union (AU) summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, the African heads of state issued Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration on food price hikes and agricultural development upon a suggestion by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

In the document, the African leaders stressed the importance of taking all the necessary measures to promote the agricultural productivity and food security in Africa.

The African leaders admitted that the soaring food prices would turn the scarce national resources away from development activities and direct them to settle the bill of emergency food imports to provide food, the special declaration says.

The African leaders declared their strong commitment to reducing the number of people suffering malnutrition to 50 percent by 2015 and eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the continent, it says.

The declaration says African Union presidents and heads of state gathering in Sharm el Sheikh for the 11th AU summit welcomed the UN secretary general's formation of a work team to find ways to deal with the world food crisis.

The African leaders admitted that the soaring food prices would turn the scarce national resources away from development activities and direct them to settle the bill of emergency food imports to provide food, the special declaration says.

The African leaders declared their strong commitment to reducing the number of people suffering malnutrition to 50 percent by 2015 and eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the continent, it says.

The African leaders said they will adopt all necessary measures to enhance agricultural production and secure food security for the continent by implementing the NEPAD agricultural development initiative and the 2003 Maputo Declaration, the special draft declaration says.

The leaders said they will give priority to increasing the production and productivity of the main agricultural crops and improve fertilizers' production, the declaration says.

The African leaders have agreed to take urgent and short-term measures to confront the challenges of skyrocketing food prices by offering immediate aid to the low-income brackets in the form of food and social security networks including cash money to fight poverty and malnutrition, it says.

They also agreed to increase investments in sustainable agricultural growth by enhancing the rural infrastructure including roads, markets, irrigation and harvest gathering, the declaration says.

The African leaders called for a world partnership to deal with the causes and effects of the current food crisis and to treat the food security issue within a comprehensive humanitarian context linked to the individual's inalienable right to food and life, the declaration says.

They also urged to support efforts at the national, regional and international levels to reduce food prices, it says.

The African leaders called for launching an urgent high-ranking international dialogue of food importers and exporters from developing and industrialized countries.

The dialogue's aim is to lay down a world strategy for the food crisis in the short, medium and long terms, the declaration says.

The African leaders also called for laying down an international code of conduct to review the current expansion in biofuel production as a substitute for conventional energy, the draft special declaration said.

They urged industrialized nations to provide the financial and technical help to African countries to increase their food and agricultural production, the declaration said.

Finally, the leaders reiterated their determination to use all means to reduce the sufferings resulting from the complications of skyrocketing food prices and promote agricultural development to increase production and productivity being the model solution for the challenges facing Africa, the declaration said.

The African leaders pledged to work on solving issues of water security in the continent.

They also pledged to boost local authorities and private sector in regard with using African water resources, according to the final communiqué of the AU summit.

The leaders voiced commitment to face climate changes impacts on the water resources in Africa.

African leaders will also urge international donors to finance water and infrastructure initiatives.

The leaders called for cooperation with the civil society in water issues.

The African leaders endorsed a number of political, economic and social resolutions at the closing of their 11th summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.

They approved a resolution to establish an African-Arab forum for development with a view to promoting cooperation between the two sides.

The first session of the forum is scheduled to be held by the end of this year.

The African leaders called on the African Commission and the Arab League to draw up plans and strategies required to promote African-Arab cooperation.

As for Sudan, the African leaders welcomed the reiteration by the Sudanese government and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement of their pledges to implement the comprehensive peace agreement.

They called on the two sides to exert more efforts to settle unresolved issues. They said the trouble in the relations between Sudan and Chad has negatively impacted on the conditions in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

As for the border conflict between Eritrea and Djibouti, the African leaders condemned the use of force, asserting the necessity to respect the sovereignty of the African Union member states.

They called on the two sides to follow peaceful ways to settle their differences.

Shifting to Somalia, the African leaders said the conditions in the Horn of Africa country still raise concerns despite a recent progress in the national reconciliation process between the government and the opposition.

They underscored the importance of an agreement signed recently between the two sides under the auspices of the United Nations.

They endorsed a resolution to extend the mandate of the African Union mission in Somalia for six months.

The African leaders underlined the importance of the strategic partnerships between the African Union and countries including Japan, China, India and Turkey.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said it was urgent for Africa to activate agricultural development resolutions to overcome challenges facing the agricultural sector in Africa.

Mubarak, in a meeting of the African leaders on the food crisis in Sharm El-Sheikh, said placing the food crisis on the agenda of the meeting reflects the difficult conditions the continent is passing through due to the repercussions of food price hikes.

Africa is required to forge a joint vision on this score, he said, adding that dialogue between exporters and importers of food products is mandatory.

Mubarak called for adopting new policies and strategies to increase food products and productivity.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed that having an African Union (AU) government has been the main goal of Africa since the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

During an in-camera meeting of the AU leaders, Mubarak said while discussing a report by a committee entrusted with establishing the AU government, forming an African union government is the best means to pave the way for setting up the United States of Africa and fulfilling a most-cherished hope that Africans have long been seeking to attain.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the AU government is an essential requirement for upgrading the AU institutional structure, with a view to realizing our ultimate objective of establishing the United States of Africa.

Dear brother, President Kikwete...

- Their Excellencies the Heads of State and Government...

- President of the African Union Commission...

- Ladies and Gentlemen...

This discussion deals with a strategic priority for our joint African action. On discussing the establishment of the African Union Government, we are in agreement on the fact that this has been our major goal of our cooperation since the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, and that it embodies the dream of the Continent's early pioneers and historical leaders.

Ladies and Gentlemen, To take practical and constructive steps to establish a government for the African Union on solid and firm bases within a well studied methodology is the optimal approach to best way to prepare the ground for the rise of the United States of Africa, being the ultimate goal we seek.

We must differentiate between the establishment of the African Union Government on one hand and the establishment of the United States of Africa, on the other. We must also be aware that to start with the establishment of the African Union Government is a necessary prerequisite to advance the institutional arrangements for the Union, so as to achieve our ultimate goal of establishing the United States of Africa at a later stage.

Today, we have to grant the African Union Commission and the other organs of the Union necessary powers to mull over the best approach to establish the African Union Government. I am confident that Mr. Jean Ping the Commission Chairperson and his work team in cooperation with the Committee of Twelve Heads of State and Government will spare no effort to achieve this end. I reiterate that we look for cooperation and coordination with him, and all members of the African Union in this important matter.

Thank you...

May peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you

Meanwhile, African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping expressed the commission's appreciation for President Hosni Mubarak and the government and people of Egypt for providing a favorable atmosphere to ensure success of the African Union summit whose inaugural session he was addressing Monday.

Africa has realized progress in obtaining drinking water, Ping said. However, much more remained to be done for the continent to reach the development targets of the third millennium in time, Ping added.

The challenges that should be confronted are commensurate in their huge size with the expectations and aspirations of the African peoples, he said.

Ping underlined the need to realize the noble aspirations of the Union and praised the dedication shown by former commissioner Alpha Oumar Konare regarding the unity of the continent and his relentless efforts throughout his mandate.

It is necessary to promote collective action and facilitate access to exchanging information, he added.

It is also necessary to make the Commission active and live up to the required credibility of the African Union, he said, adding that reforms cannot be realized except through the support of the African leaders and their awareness of the challenges facing the continent recently.

Ping voiced confidence that the African leaders would support the African Union so that it would be able to play an active role in settling all problems facing African in the current decade.

The current summit is being held at a time when the world is facing several problems and challenges, he said, referring to the food crisis, energy and global warming.

Africa is most vulnerable to such problems and can never confront these challenges except through reaching more solidarity and unity, he added.

The African Commission has taken several steps toward reaching economic partnership with international institutions concerned with helping the member states face the dangers and meet their dire needs, he added.

Development in Africa requires a new and active infrastructure, he said.

The African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping has warned of the lack of funds for backing the peace process in Somalia.

In a report tackled by the African Union summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Ping said only 50 million dollars were secured out of total 817.5 million dollars budget needed for the full deployment of an African Union mission in Somalia for one year.

Only 30 percent of the number of AU forces set by the African Peace and Security Council was deployed in Somalia, said the report.

In the report, African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping urged the international community to secure needed funds for implementing a peace deal signed by the Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia on June 9 under the patronage of the United Nations.

The deal, to come into effect on July 9, called for halting armed conflicts, setting a withdrawal timetable for the Ethiopian troops protecting the transitional government and deploying an international force in Somalia to realize stability, the report said.

The force will be from countries that are friends of Somalia, excluding the neighboring countries.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said the Arab League and the African Union share common targets.

Addressing the 11th African Union summit, Moussa said food, energy and water issues are very important especially to developing nations, asserting the need to reach unified stances in confronting these challenges.

Moussa referred to the Arab and African summits' resolutions on holding a meeting between experts of the two organizations on agriculture and food security in 2008 to suggest a joint plan of action on safeguarding food security.

Preliminary reports indicate increasing population worldwide reaching more than seven billion people by 2015, he said, adding that the population in Africa has reached 700 million, registering more than four percent.

Despite the other challenges, the population in Africa is expected to reach one billion people during two or three decades, he said, adding that a clear plan should be reached to confront any crises.

As for Arab-African cooperation, Moussa welcomed the Egyptian initiative on resuming the Arab-African summits and the call for holding a second summit shortly, referring to the fact that the first such summit was held more than 31 years ago.

Joint African action is a reality that can never be hidden or overlooked, Moussa said, asserting that without Arab-African cooperation everyone will lose.

It is necessary to activate such cooperation and pave the way for holding a summit that blesses such joint action, he said.

He called for having the Arab League and the African Union reach an official and legal agreement to protect investments in the member states. As for political problems, he said the problems of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli dispute on the one side and the escalating problems in the Horn of Africa on the other make up a burning belt of straining crises that everyone is facing.

The Palestinian-Israeli dispute is getting more complicated and the process launched from Annapolis is heading toward failure due to Israel's policies which aim at sabotaging all chances for peace, Moussa said.

Moussa called on the African leaders to stand firmly in facing Israel's settlement policies.

He praised Egypt's efforts which have yielded a cooling off agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian factions.

He called for the need to end tension in Darfur and protect the peace agreement between north and south Sudan, adding that the Arab League spares no effort in cooperation with the African Union to assert Sudan's unity and help south Sudan reach development in cooperation with its government and the national unity government.

As for the Somali crisis, he voiced deep concern over the situation there and called on all the parties to resort to dialogue instead of violence and to observe the national interests of the country.

The United Nations partnership with the African Union is progressing, said the UN deputy chief, who took part in the AU summit.

In her speech at the inaugural session, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro added that the UN chief has formed a steering group to support Africa.

The group has already proposed several ideas for supporting Africa, she added, noting that these recommendations if approved will add a momentum to the agenda of the development goals of the millennium.

Touching on the international runaway food and fuel price, she said such a crisis is so dangerous and threatens around 100 million people in the world.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is adamant in coordinating efforts with the AU for containing the consequences of the food crisis.

For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Palestinians will not give up until an independent, sovereign state of their own is established.

The Palestinians will not give up despite Israeli attempts to change the features of East Jerusalem and ongoing settlement activities, arrests and tight siege on Gaza Strip, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said at the 11th African summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh The Palestinians will set up their independent state with the help of the honest people in the world who are convinced of importance of achieving equality among human beings and granting peoples the right of self-determination, he said.

He reiterated Palestinians' right of legitimate strife until they get their independence and set up their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Palestinian leader said he is doing his best to rescue the peace process and convince Israeli leadership of the importance of not wasting the current opportunity at the same time he is seeking to end the internal Palestinian division and initiating a dialogue that respects political multiplicity.

Abbas lauded Egypt's role to reach a Hamas-Israel truce, saying the truce saved Gaza Strip from a terrible massacre and helped provide an appropriate atmosphere that paves the way for resumption of peace efforts with Israel.

The Palestinian leader urged a just solution to the Palestinian refugees issue in accordance with UN resolution 194, saying the Palestinian leadership choose to hold negotiations to reach a solution to this issue.

Abbas praised African solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against Israel.

African leaders discussed during the summit the implementation of Millennium Development Goals as regards water and drainage.

The United Nations member states have agreed in 2000 to try to achieve eight goals by 2015 and called them "Millennium Development Goals".

African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Tumusiime Rhoda Peace presented a report on rural development, agriculture and security in the African continent.

The report referred to challenges facing development in the continent, especially drought, desertification, low agricultural investments and the shortage of potable water and drainage.

President of African Development Bank Donald Kaberuka and head of the UN Consultative Council for Water and Drainage William Alexander also addressed the session.